PHOTOS Christmas reveals its 'nice or naughty' faces
By Park Si-soo
Exchanges of noisy mirth and heart-warming words of blessing dominated Christmas. Streets were flooded with smiling people holding hands with loved ones, Christmas gifts in their hands and on their shoulders flapping up and down to the carols that boomed out.
Yet it’s not the sole face of Christmas. There are people who spend the joyful day like an ordinary working day. Or some in distress, anguish, despair or even in tears.
The following are photos collected by The Korea Times that shaped the various faces of Christmas Day and its eve.
Snapshots of Ryu Ji-yeon and her children taken on Christmas Eve. / Courtesy of Ryu Ji-yeon
Byun Joo-kyung enjoys the beach on Saipan at Christmas. She said it was the “very first HOT Christmas ever in my life.” / Courtesy of Byun Joo-kyung
Alice Lee smiles with her husband and children in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. / Courtesy of Alice Lee
Singer Eric Nam sings “Jingle Bells” with people with autism at a charity concert hosted by the Dream with Ensemble. Stills and video clips of the concert were made public on Christmas Eve. The ensemble consists of people with developmental disabilities. / Courtesy of Victoria Nam
Kim Sa-rah smiles with her daughter at a church in Suji, Gyeonggi Province, on Christmas Eve. / Courtesy of Kim Sa-rah
Choi Soo-oh, third from right, with her children and relatives before dining at a restaurant in Seoul on Christmas Eve. / Courtesy of Choi Soo-oh
Work goes on in The Korea Times newsroom on Christmas Eve. / Photo by Choi Won-suk
The Korea Times newsroom on Christmas Eve. / Photo by Choi Won-suk
Kim Eu-gene in a selfie taken while participating in the Salvation Army’s street fundraising campaign in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Christmas Eve. / Courtesy of Kim Eu-gene
Cars jam a road leading to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul on Christmas Eve. Kang Soo-jin said “a 50-meter drive took one hour.” A popular singer’s concert at the hotel is said to have caused the traffic jam. / Courtesy of Kang Soo-jin
A Christmas card, right, written by the girlfriend of Aditya Soni, a PhD candidate at POSTECH, in 2015. Aditya said the card had been important in strengthening his love for her. Aditya and his girlfriend Madhu are now studying at the same university and will marry soon. “Her unconditional love and deep belief made this happen,” he said. / Courtesy of Aditya
Kim In-dong, 64, touches the photo of his late wife Jang Kyung-ja at a funeral hall in Jecheon, Chungcheong Province, on Christmas Eve. She was among 29 people killed in a sports center fire in the city, Thursday. / Yonhap
Members of a bereaved family stand behind a hearse at a funeral house in Jecheon, Chungcheong Province, on Christmas Eve. A total of 29 people were killed in a sports center fire in the city, Thursday. / Yonhap